Morning Edition - 9/19/05

Bill Puts Bush on Front Street
Former President Bill Clinton appeared on ABCs This Week program and did what most former presidents have chosen to stay away from – publicly criticize the sitting president. During his hour-long interview Clinton expressed his view on the war, specifically the fact that the U.S. went, “virtually alone and before UN inspections were completed, with no real urgency, no evidence that there were weapons of mass destruction." He added that our growing deficit has us (the world’s supposed richest country) borrowing money every single day to finance the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and the aftermath of Katrina. On Katrina, Clinton basically said that the outcome would have been quite different if he had been in office, since he, and his then FEMA head James Lee Witt, were always handling impending disasters early. “But both of us came out of environments with a disproportionate number of poor people,” Clinton said.

Face-Off
Dr. Maria Siemionow is in the final stages of choosing the first live patient in the U.S. to undergo a complete face transplant. In what many consider a scene directly out of the movies, Siemionow is interviewing patients and telling them key aspects of the surgery – well, what is actually known now. The surgery should last 8-10 hours and the patient would need to stay in the hospital for 10-14 days. In addition, your body may reject the face turning your new face black – oh, the horror (just joking about the horror part). A lifetime of drugs to prevent rejection should be expected and these drugs may damage your liver or give you cancer. That said, persons disfigured in accidents, burns, etc. will have an opportunity to live a life with a fairly normal face. Siemionow warns that although the patient will be wearing the donors face, they will not necessarily look like the donor; since facial muscle and bone structure play a huge role in how your face is shaped. We don’t need to remind anyone that the donor would need to have a closed-casket funeral since they will no longer have a face.

Long Story Short
Caspar picks up keys on Tuesday for her new palace in the Boogie Down. Melissa M. celebrates a birthday tomorrow. Carlos C. had his chest tube removed early. The prognosis is good and we’re keeping tabs on any remaining fluid in the lung. We’ve reconnected! My pal from VH1s Best Week Ever and I had a wonderful Saturday on the town; we weren’t too thuggish; were we?! Well, I’ll put it out there – I love that “fatty” boy. Mommy Millie thinking of hitting NYC on her own? Uh, mom… I love you, but if you think you’re spending two more weeks at my pad I have a little something for you. Monica, Jayda, Treavor – It was super seeing you ladies! Sorry it sometimes takes a tragedy to come together. J’Moo… married life is making you boring and detached. Who are you anyway?!

On Blast
Menstruation still remains a taboo subject that some women rather not talk about. Some folks feel it’s dirty, while others know it’s a natural part of life for women. Today we ask: Is it okay to engage in sexual intercourse while menstruating? If so, what tips can you give to make the act more pleasurable and less of a clean-up? If you’re dead-set against it, give reasons why.

Keep passin’ the open windows…